Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur Michael Solomonov of Zahav Foods and CookNSolo Restaurants Part 1

“Mike Solomonov is Philadelphia's beloved champion of Israeli cuisine and is widely credited with helping to introduce Israel's extraordinarily diverse culinary landscape to American diners. Along with Steve Cook, he is the co-owner of CookNSolo Restaurants, including the trailblazing Zahav, recipient of the 2019 James Beard Award for "Outstanding Restaurant" (the first Israeli-American restaurant to receive this honor).”“Solomonov is the co-author of four cookbooks, and the recipient of five James Beard Awards, including “Book of the Year” in 2016 for Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking" and “Outstanding Chef” in 2017 for his work at Zahav.”“In addition to Zahav, Solomonov co-owns Philadelphia's Federal Donuts & Chicken, Dizengoff, Goldie, K’Far, Laser Wolf, Lilah Events, and Jaffa Bar. CookNSolo expanded to Brooklyn in 2022, bringing grill house sensation Laser Wolf and K’Far to The Hoxton hotel. In 2024, Solomonov released the iconic Zahav Restaurant Recipe Hummus exclusively at Whole Foods Markets across the US. Aviv — a restaurant embracing ancient cooking methods with the modern energy of Miami & Tel Aviv — recently launched at the 1 Hotel South Beach. Outside of the restaurants, you can often find Mike with Steve at Pho 75 in South Philly, working out the kinks in their Israeli village.”